by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)

Welcome to FUZZY MEADOWS, our weekly recap of this week's new music. We're sharing our favorite releases of the week in the form of albums, singles, and music videos along with the "Further Listening" section of new and notable releases from around the web. It's generally written in the early hours of the morning and semi-unedited... but full of love and heart. The list is in alphabetical order and we sincerely recommend checking out all the music we've included. There's a lot of great new music being released. Support the bands you love. Spread the word and buy some new music.

*Disclaimer: We are making a conscious effort not to include any artist in our countdown on back-to-back weeks in order to diversify the feature, so be sure to check the "Further Listening" as well because it's often of top-notch quality too.

DEERHOOF | “Phase-Out All Remaining Non-Miracles by 2028”

Just prior to the release of Deerhoof’s exceptional new album, Miracle-Level, the band released one more single that could serve as the record’s mission statement, “Phase-Out All Remaining Non-Miracles by 2028”. The song’s lyrics speak of “acts of god” set to remove the evil at hand, Satomi Matsuzaki reminding us there is “no room for non-miracles”. The video, directed by nespy5euro (who also recently directed Pile’s “Lowered Rainbow” clip), takes a political stance, capturing the pollution, greed, political corruption, and worldly toxins that Deerhoof are determined to phase-out. Highlighting the horrors of the oil industry and energy’s stubborn dependance upon it, the animated collage approach of the video hits with maximum impact, moving in rapid motion with the disjointed grooves of the song and the disarming quality of the hook’s swarming guitars. As the world burns, Deerhoof fight back with sheer bliss and complex joy.

ELECTRIC CHAIR | “Act of Aggression” LP

Electric Chair could be the pinnacle of modern hardcore, at least delightfully weird hardcore… ugly, brutal, blistering, and oddly psychedelic. Following three great EPs that introduced and re-introduced the band’s maniacal brand of abrasive punk, the Olympia based quartet have unleashed their first full length, the chaotic and curdling sociopolitical fury of Act of Aggression. Out now via Iron Lung Records (Eteraz, Physique, Rotary Club), the band are swinging for the fences, blending the skewed and surreal with the deviant and direct, exploding with righteous indignation for our corroded society. Channeling the buzzsaw noise of early 80’s hardcore, with relentless filth, stampeding drums, and riffs that shift a mile a minute, Electric Chair blast between mutant levels of corroded hardcore boogie and brain melting sonic exploration. They deliver a record impossibly heavy and immediate that feels intelligent as it hurls itself forever forward into the abyss. Make no mistake, this album rips from top to bottom.

TERRY | “Centuries”

Melbourne’s Terry hardly need an introduction. Their members have been involved in Total Control, Lower Plenty, Sleeper & Snake, Constant Mongrel, Primo!, and UV Race among others, and yet Terry is very much its own thing, a collaborative effort where each member is simply part of the greater whole. Across the vast catalog they’ve built over the past eight years, it’s when Terry are in complete unison, as they often are, that the band is truly radiant. Bouncing between pummeling synth punk, jangly pop, and wobbly post-punk, the songs shift perspective (and vocalists), while retaining cohesion and charm. Their upcoming album, Call Me Terry, is their best yet, a record that weaves an emphasis on the spiky punk side of their psych pop nuggets. “Centuries,” the album’s latest single, is a perfect example, a song with crackling distortion and a motorik groove supporting the impeccable four person vocal approach.

THA GOD FAHIM & OH NO THE DISRUPT | “Berserko” LP

Tha God Fahim does not wait for anyone and keeping up is a struggle. Within the first three months of this year, the Atlanta MC has released six records… six (!), working together with frequent collaborators like Mach-Hommy and producers like Nicholas Craven and Camoflauge Monk. His catalog is in constant motion, wait a few weeks and he’ll be back with a new album, his sage like street wisdom and “can I kick it” flow as dependable as they come. A week after Fahim and Craven linked up for Shot Clock King Vol. 4, Fahim is already back with a new full length, a collaboration with none other than Oh No (aka Oh No The Disrupt), producer/MC extraordinaire (best known as one half of Gangrene with The Alchemist and one half of The Professionals with Madlib). The beats, a mix of low-key jazz, chopped up lounge and soul samples, and minimalist psychedelic boom-bap are perfect and Tha God Fahim sounds absolutely fired up, his pen work stronger than ever to match the grandiose charm of the production. This one stands among Fahim’s best work so far this year.

WASHER | “Not Like You”

The good ol’ duo of Mike Quigley and Kieran McShane, best known as Washer, are nearing the release of their third album, Improved Means To Deteriorated Ends. It’s been a strange journey bringing this album to life and perhaps it’s the uncertainties of existence that have led to the emotional honesty that drives the record’s core themes. It’s an album essentially about mental health and the topsy turvy axis it sits upon, as our brains work to thrive and dismantle in equal measure. “Not Like You” is a reflection of the mind set against itself, a song about trying to improve while a part of you passes judgement on what may become as the new you. It’s an existential ripper, with an emphasis on being a ripper. It’s been said that Washer only make hit songs, and who are we to disagree. McShane keeps a steady pulse, slamming the punchy rhythm into existence, setting the backbone for Quigley’s sludgy guitar jangle. The signature vocal performance is full of nuance, doubling at times for textural depth, and forever howling with three sheets to the wind sing-a-long charm. Singing along feels like shouting in reverie with a good pal, all the while exorcising anxieties.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (March 27th - April 2nd)